Hollow Cretan, somewhere near the Old Subway Hub.
The motorcycle sped past.
“Thanks to you stepping in and getting us out of there, Manager. As expected of Phaethon, reliable as always!” Billy praised generously.
Belle joked, “Praise me a bit more, and I might just give you a discount on the commission fee.”
“Really?” Anby looked at Eous, her eyes filled with anticipation.
“Anby, I think the Proxy is just being polite.” Billy said helplessly.
“Let’s put the commission fee aside for a moment. As for the friend next to you who’s been quietly eating popcorn for a while now, I wonder what your background is?” Wise’s voice suddenly came out of Eous, startling Li Qianqiao, who had indeed been thoroughly enjoying the drama.
Suddenly, everyone’s attention was drawn to Li Qianqiao.
Even Billy, who was driving, couldn’t help but lean in closer to eavesdrop.
“Uh… I don’t know why I’m here either…” Li Qianqiao’s voice lacked confidence, but a sudden flash of inspiration hit him—a perfect excuse!
He slowly lowered his head, trying his best not to let them see his expression.
He clutched his forehead and said in a terribly confused tone: “I… seem to have forgotten everything. But… I vaguely remember… a few unfamiliar words… something about… the Helios… Academy…”
“The Helios Academy?!” Belle’s exclamation rang out.
Eous grabbed Li Qianqiao’s clothes and shook him.
Belle asked urgently, “Quick! Tell us! What else do you know?!”
Wise was also surprised.
He forced himself to calm down, pulled Belle’s arm, and said, “Belle, calm down. Let him take his time.”
“But brother, he—” Belle turned to complain, but seeing Wise’s trembling hands, she realized he was just as unsettled.
“And… there’s also a woman named Carole Arna… I’m sorry, that’s all I know. By the time I regained consciousness, I was already here, and I only remember that this motorcycle and this box belong to me.” (The box was just something he picked up along the way to store his Faiz Gear).
Li Qianqiao looked distressed as he apologized to the siblings.
“No, there’s no need to apologize. You have amnesia, I understand how difficult that must be.” Wise’s voice came through gently.
“Based on what you’ve said, you don’t have anywhere else to go. Why don’t you come with us?”
“Uh… is that a good idea…?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m very interested in your background, and you did help us out in there.” Wise comforted him.
Belle caught on to her brother’s intentions.
“Brother, are you planning to…”
Wise blinked at Belle.
“In that case, I will respectfully accept your offer.” Li Qianqiao said.
“Alright, Billy, Anby, could you please drop Brother Li off at our place once you’re out? As for the commission fee, we can easily negotiate.”
Billy promised confidently, “No problem, Manager!”
“Understood, Proxy.” Anby added.
Honestly, both Billy and Anby were extremely curious about the conversation, but they chose to avoid the topic.
They knew everyone in this line of work had their own secrets.
The group started chatting casually.
Mostly, Li Qianqiao just watched them talk.
Any Ethereals they encountered along the way were effortlessly handled by Billy and Anby, leaving Li Qianqiao with absolutely no chance to show off his new abilities.
He felt a bit disappointed; he really wanted to do a cool transformation sequence.
Driving, chatting, beating Ethereals, driving, chatting, beating Ethereals, driving, chatting…
“We’re gonna crash! We’re gonna crash! We’re gonna crash!”
Li Qianqiao was violently snapped out of his daze by Billy’s screaming.
Crash into what…?
Huh?
Li Qianqiao looked ahead—a solid wall was right in front of them!
“Uwaaaaaah!”
With a loud pop, the group burst right out of the Hollow.
“The oppressive Ether pressure has vanished.” Anby confirmed, observing their surroundings.
“We’re out… we finally made it out! Aha! Brother Li! Brother Li? Brother Li!!” Before Billy could even finish his cheering, he turned to see Li Qianqiao’s eyes rolling back into his head.
“W-What happened to me…” Li Qianqiao rubbed his head, staring at Billy, who was hurriedly pulling his hand back from an attempted physical awakening (a slap).
Billy tried to stammer an excuse.
A car horn honked nearby—Nicole had arrived!
“The time and location are exactly what that Phaethon guy said. It’s just… why is there an extra person?” Nicole immediately noticed Li Qianqiao as she stepped out of the car, observing him closely.
Li Qianqiao was also observing Nicole.
Hmm, pink hair, and a very prominent…
‘mole’ on her chest.
It seems Nicole is quite generous indeed.
Nicole called out to Billy and asked, “Where did this guy come from?”
Billy briefly explained the situation.
Nicole quickly understood.
“In that case, keep up. Billy, drive! Anby, let’s go.”
Li Qianqiao nodded and followed them on his bike.
……
Video Store, Garage.
“You’re here! Perfect timing!” Nicole said to the siblings walking over.
“I brought the guy you asked for, too.”
Belle looked at Nicole suspiciously.
“Nicole, you guys got back way too fast. Did you run red lights again?”
“No way~ We just passed through a normal green light, and a green light with an RGB R-value of 255.”
That ‘green’ was so red it could rival my lucky New Year’s underwear, Li Qianqiao’s mouth twitched.
Anyway, the plot that followed involved the siblings continuing to help Nicole with her commission.
After the Cunning Hares left, Li Qianqiao finally had the time to talk with the famous Phaethon.
“Well then, please come inside the shop, Brother Li.” Wise said, smiling at Li Qianqiao.
“Sure.” Li Qianqiao agreed out loud, but inside he thought: Why does this Wise guy look like a cunning old fox?
Entering the store, Li Qianqiao was still checking out the interior when Wise cut straight to the chase:
“Brother Li, I’ll be blunt. You mentioned information about people very important to us siblings. We discussed it before you arrived, and we hope you can stay here and help us.”
“Of course, regarding lodging, we have a storage room here that can be cleaned up. For money, you can work part-time at the store. The pay is negotiable, we’ll provide full health benefits, and I’ll take care of getting you a valid New Eridu ID. What do you say?”
Caught off guard.
Li Qianqiao was completely caught off guard.
I haven’t even confessed anything yet, and you guys are showing your whole hand?!
Faced with Wise’s offensive, Li Qianqiao could only blankly agree.
He originally wanted to stick by the main characters anyway—not only was it safe, but he could also farm affinity with the cast.
Not to mention, this saved him so much trouble!
If he were left alone in New Eridu with no ID and no money, it wouldn’t be long before it was game over for him.
It’s not like he could pawn off his Faiz Gear.
“Alright, let me properly introduce us. I’m Wise, and this is my sister Belle. We are the legendary Proxies of the Inter-Knot, Phaethon. We’ll be in your care from now on, Brother Li.” Wise was very satisfied with the outcome.
“Nice to work with you, Little Li!” Belle giggled at Li Qianqiao.
“Thank you both, Managers, for taking me in. Also, Sis Belle, you can just call me A-Qiao. ‘Little Li’ makes me sound like a palace eunuch.”
“Okay, Little Li! No problem, Little Li!”
“I… forget it, as long as you’re happy, Sis Belle.” Li Qianqiao looked at Belle helplessly.
Belle happily linked arms with Wise and Li Qianqiao, dragging them out of the shop:
“Since our big family has a new member, I propose we go eat some ramen! My treat!”
Hearing that someone was treating, Li Qianqiao immediately perked up and cheered, “Long live the Empress!”
“Ahem, you may rise, my loyal subject!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Watching the two goofing around, Wise shook his head helplessly and followed along.
As for whether Li Qianqiao would ever betray the siblings?
Wise had never even considered it.
Because Li Qianqiao’s eyes were the cleanest he had ever seen.